Unravel: The End
by SkatingDJ
Summary: Knowing his days were short, Pitch Black made Jackson Overland his power source and fed off his fear when he became a spirit so he could eventually return. Pitch immediately comes back after the Battle of Burgess and confronts Jack about his Destiny. A Destiny Jack will fulfill three days from his birthday to sacrifice himself to Pitch. Nobody can stop it but can they overcome it?
1. Chapter 1

**Rewritten story of "The End." Teen Titans plot. Song: "Unravel" (Tokyo Ghoul) by Unknown Songbird. T to be safe. I own nothing. Enjoy!:)**

* * *

 _Oh can you tell me, can you tell me, the way that this should work._

 _Just who's inside of me? The monster pulling strings._

* * *

They always said that the Man in the Moon was how Jack Frost had been resurrected from the dead. His purpose purpose was to bring Winter and become a Guardian to protect children. However, he was the only spirit to ever be born from death. No other spirit had been created this way. It was unheard of, it had never been done before. The choice of whether the flaw was a miracle or a burden to the winter soul was entirely up to the person who thought about it.

To Jack Frost, it was the latter of the two.

The question was just _why?_ Why was he created this way? Why him? Why the Spirit of Winter who is the bringer of death and to be exiled in a world where no one can see him or care for him? Why was he 'gifted' this way? Why didn't he just die and stay dead? There were others who died in honor, so why him? Why did the Man in the Moon think he was so special?

Well apparently, it wasn't just Mim's decision.

It was also Pitch Black's doing as well.

It was during the Dark Ages. Pitch knew that when the Man in the Moon created the Guardians, he wouldn't last much longer and his reign would fall sooner than later. But Pitch was smart, if he ever wanted to return at full power once more, he needed a power vessel to give him that strength. A being that would sacrifice itself to him when the time came. However, with the Man in the Moon as the ruler of all spirits and the Guardians at large, Pitch needed to be sneaky and subtle. He needed a vessel that was easy to break and manipulate, powerful, and could stay low under the radar. A being that was always cornered in fear and could feed him it as he rested and waited for his return. An infinite power source.

With the Dark Ages still lurking about, Pitch had a variety of options to choose from. But Pitch had to be shrewd and clever, somehow he would have to create this power source right under Mim's nose but without him even knowing it.

Here was a start; both Mim and Pitch took an interest in children.

After some searching, Pitch took an interest in one particular boy. He was in his mid-teens and was part of a struggling family. His father had passed away in war, his mother had no job and had just miraculously recovered from a disease, he had a little sister (whom he loved very much) to watch over and he himself had to balance school and a job. They were very poor and it was quite a struggle, but the boy always put on a fun facade to cheer everyone up during these dark times. He had quite the knack for it. However, a facade does nothing good to a person and rots away a person's true feelings. It was so easy to cast nightmares upon him and fear at times would get the best of him.

His name was Jackson Overland.

However, no matter what, the boy would always find the light. That's what Pitch ironically admired about him. He was a mix of both fear and fun, he was strong. An unbalance of either would be unfitting for Pitch, the boy was perfect. Now how was he going to turn him into his special little 'gem'?

As fate and luck would have it, Mim also saw the great power and potential that Jack contained. Except in a much lighter manner. So when a nasty turn of events occurred where Jack saved his sister and willingly sacrificed himself to the ice cold waters of death, Mim decided to reward him by turning him into an immortal spirit. This could not have been any better for Pitch.

With the last ounce of his strength from the last bit of every believer he still had left, Pitch cast a curse on Jack the moment his hair turned white and his eyes turned blue and ice coursed through his veins. It was a curse that turned Jack Frost into Pitch's ultimate power source. His 'Gem.' From then on, any sort of fear that flowed within Jack would give power to Pitch until he had enough strength to rise again. And once all that power and fear was at it's peak, Jack would vanish and the only thing left would be the Nightmare King. While it would be effective to face Jack and tell him of his birth, Pitch didn't want him running off to spoil his plans or to jeopardize his peak. So he waited patiently.

However, Mim was smart too. He wasn't entirely sure of what had transpired during Jack's birth, but something dark and deadly had occurred. He kept an eye on Jack, even though he never talked to him, he wanted the boy to find his own path and make his own decisions. But Mim made sure that nothing would harm him. But when Pitch arose once more, Mim knew of his plan. He finally understood what had happened. Quickly, he made Jack a Guardian to protect him. Not to mention that the element of Fun was the only thing that could counter the element of Fear. Jack was safe...

For now. Pitch was not done yet. He had made a foolish mistake. He had thought that once he had the strength to control his power once more, he would be ready to face the Guardians (they were fools after all). This was only to find that Jack had been nominated as a Guardian. A smart move on Mim's part. With Jack, the Guardians won the fight. Pitch was still not strong enough. But he could bide more time. It was especially comforting to know that once he was at full strength, there would be no stopping him. Jack was a powerful spirit, as shown when he utterly obliterated an army of his nightmares all at once when they were at their strongest. In fact, this might have played out even better. The Guardians thought he had been demolished for the time being, he had the cover of death.

And just because Jack was a Guardian now didn't mean he was safe. Nobody could be safe or escape Fear. It was always with you, it always found you, it always followed you. Jack's issues of isolation and pain was not going to go away any time soon. But becoming a Guardian did mean some levels of hope for the boy that would render Pitch weak. Jack's fear would slip away over time under the Guardian's wing. Pitch had to make his move now. Sure, Mim would try to warn the Guardians, but it would be too late once his plan was put into motion. It was time for Jack to finally realize what he was made for. Hopefully the poor boy hadn't gotten his mind set on the fact that he was made to just bring winter and become a lousy Guardian. No, there was _so_ much more this boy had to _offer._

The precious fear that Jack had become so accustomed to was not going to leave him just yet.

* * *

It was a peaceful day at Jack's lake.

Jack was resting his eyes in a nearby tree with a soft smile playing on his lips. It was just yesterday that he and the Guardians had taken down Pitch Black and saved the world from an endless nightmare. The best part was that he too became a Guardian and he even gained some believers!

Jack had never felt this happy in his life, ever. He was _so_ afraid that his life wouldn't amount to anything and that he was some sort of useless fluke. 300 years of being invisible and in solitude was not easy. It came with many nightmares and many tear-filled days. There were times when Jack had even gone off the deep end and considered suicide. But now, he felt like he meant something. He was the Guardian of Fun and the Winter Spirit. People _saw_ him, people _cared_. He didn't have to be alone anymore, he finally had a _family_.

But that family was the Guardians, and Jack was never fond of them. Weren't they supposed to be the protectors of _children?_ He was still a child, wasn't he? Where were they when he needed them? He understood that they were all busy, but in 300 years, couldn't they have just dropped by once to say _hello_ and actually acknowledged his _existence?_ There was actually a horrifying period in his life where Jack had thought he was invisible to everyone, _including_ spirits. But Jack put that claim to the test on Easter Sunday in 1968 when he saw E. Aster Bunnymund for the first time. Granted the Pooka was anything but happy and at the time it broke Jack's heart but at least he was alive.

But them being the Guardian legends and all, weren't they supposed to be the good guys? They just left him to fend for himself for all that time and only give him a call when they needed him? Call him up to save their reputations from the Boogie Man. They beat him once, couldn't they do it again? But that wasn't the point. At first, when they announced him as a Guardian, he thought that he was simply going to become their tool. Only use him when they needed him. And that thought scared Jack even more than just being isolated entirely. But Jack was wrong. And while it angered him that the Guardians never really cared for him before, he could forgive them... eventually.

Suddenly, a clap of thunder erupted overhead and Jack's eyes snapped open.

Jack looked up between the tree leaves and frowned at the dark clouds storming over Burgess. _Odd,_ Jack thought as he took the the skies, _I've been here this whole time. Why are there storm clouds here?_

Jack soared up to the clouds and powerfully swung his staff in command for the clouds to disperse, but it didn't work. Jack tried again but instead, one of the lightning strikes almost took him down. Jack cried out with shock as he watched the bolt fly to the ground where it seemingly caused an earthquake. Suddenly, a cool wind howled around Jack as his attention was brought back upwards once more. Somehow, the black clouds caused a deadly blizzard as snow was raining down upon the earth with no remorse and without Jack's consent. Jack tried to control it but it was as if it weren't his to control. He could only watch in horror as the ground was inked with snow and ice as the earth became a winter wasteland. The power went out, people froze on the spot, everything stopped moving. In less than a minute, the world had seemingly come to an end under his hand. Everything was covered in ice...

Jack had to get to the Guardians. But as soon as Jack poised himself to take to the Pole, a familiar cackle caught his attention as he came to a halt. He recognized that voice anywhere...

 _No way, he can't be back already!_

"Pitch, what have you done?" Jack growled as he frantically looked about, the voice coming in from all different angles.

It was only yesterday when Pitch they had defeated Pitch. While the elves and yetis brought the sleeping children back to their homes, the Guardians threw together a celebration in commendation of their victory and their newest member. After the party was over, Jack had gone back to his lake to mull things over. Nightfall had come and he was just resting in a tree when suddenly this happened out of nowhere. Jack knew Pitch would be back eventually, but surely not this soon!

"Welcome to your nightmare, Jack. This is the world you are destined to create." No doubt about it, it was Pitch Black.

"I-I would never!" Jack cried out in denial, fear building up in his stomach. "What is this, Pitch?"

Another chuckle.

"Your birthday present."

Jack let the words sink into his brain, confusion took over his senses as his muscles became soft and still.

"Remind me again, Jack, what is tomorrow?" Pitch's cool and dark voice asked.

Jack's eyes widened with realization... _it was the day he became Jack Frost, when Mim had raised him from his lake. It was his Birthday._

"But why do you care?" Jack spat vehemently to the wind, "And how are you back, anyways? Why don't you show yourself?"

"It's a very, very long story, so why don't you drop back down and allow me to summarize it for you?" Pitch said, his voice still coming from the clouds, but the echo following back down to the earth.

Without a word, Jack descended from the sky and landed back onto his lake, honestly expecting Pitch to be there waiting for him. Before Jack could make any assumptions or grow concerned, Pitch's voice greeted him from the ice underneath Jack's feet. Jack looked down and let out an abrupt yell to find out the voice came from his own shadow. The shadow then began to grow long out from underneath Jack's body, stretching all the way to the circumference of the lake. It then molded into the silhouette of Pitch Black. Jack stood frozen with growing fear.

"During the Dark Ages, I knew the Man in the Moon had created the Guardians to temporarily end my reign. In order for me to return back to power, I needed a power source. And I found one... his name was Jackson Overland."

Jack let out a quiet gasp as he inwardly winced. He did not like where this was going.

"You were a perfect vessel for power. And when you turned into a spirit," Pitch snorted, "well, Mim had played right into my hands-"

"Mim would never be foolish enough to fall for a scheme like that!" Jack cried out coldly in denial, but Pitch only snickered with evil intent. "Besides, I am no vessel! And only yesterday did we ban you to cower in your dungeon for as long as fate allowed it!"

How naive Jack truly was, it was actually quite amusing to the Nightmare King. "You didn't let me finish." Pitch paused, "But you are correct, you did defeat me only yesterday 'to ban me to cower in my dungeon for as long as fate allowed it...' but it doesn't matter, really. Not in the grand scheme of things." Pitch laughed as his shadow wavered across the ice before it began to struggle to actually bend itself out from the ice surface and reach into the open air, molding into an actual figure.

Jack gritted his teeth as he readied his staff and took a careful step backwards.

Pitch continued his monologue as he continued to slowly rip himself from his shadow form, "You see dear Jackie, for the past 300 years of your painful life, I have been feeding off of your fear. Once I had enough power from you to control my army of nightmares did I attack, but with you as a Guardian, that proved to be a far too difficult task. But my time has almost come, thanks to you. You've merely been a bomb that hasn't been set to go off yet."

Pitch then suddenly tore his body from the ice lake floor and with momentum shot up and lunged himself at Jack. Jack flinched and didn't have enough time to stop Pitch from plowing into him and pinning him up against a tree; the molded shadow of the Nightmare King looming over him within very close proximity. Pitch smirked as his spindly black hand reached out and combed through Jack's snow-white hair. Jack choked back a shudder and turned away to the best of his ability, his eyes clamped shut with disgust and fear.

"So when tomorrow comes on your birthday, my curse shall be fulfilled when your fear I have planted within you today has reached it's peek. Your little bomb will finally begin to tick. Within three days time during the eclipse when Mim is unable to help you, you will sacrifice yourself to me and I shall return with the Dark Glory Days of my past." Pitch hissed as he inched even closer to Jack's face, his hot breath running down Jack's neck making him feel very uncomfortable.

Jack bit back a whimper; he felt like crying. But he was not going to give into it so easily. "God, you must like hearing your own voice." Jack pressed on, "By the way, you're lying. I don't believe you."

"You don't have to believe me, because it _will_ happen and you and the Guardians are powerless to stop it." Pitch whispered menacingly as he began to back away, much to the Winter Spirit's relief.

Jack had the opportunity to look around once more. Everything was dead. Snow and ice was all he could see for miles. Black storm clouds covered the sky and nightmares pranced through the air. It was a world made for Pitch to play with. Everyone was dead, including the Guardians. Nobody could stop him. Except for one person...

"Well, if I can't stop you, the Guardians will-" Jack paused and cursed at himself for saying the next part, "and if they cannot, Mim will and all the other spirits!"

Pitch just smiled, "You can't kill fear, Jack. My goal isn't to just conquer, but to dominate and control. Fear is a never-ending and powerful substance of power. Once fear has been planted within you, there is no stopping it from growing until it consumes you whole. The more I control, the more I can gain. Earth is just the first stepping stone, soon, the whole Universe will be mine thanks to you."

Jack couldn't win this fight. He had nothing to say. But while words can be sharp, so can an icicle to the heart. Without warning, Jack fired a beam of ice at Pitch and watched with satisfaction as it pierced him straight through the heart. However, to Jack's horror, the ice simply melted away and phased through Pitch's body. Jack just stood there, scared and horrified.

"Ouch," Pitch mocked. The icicle had not effected him because Pitch wasn't a whole being, this very strange shadow form was not made of choice. After his defeat, he had been banned to the shadows and had not yet had the strength yet to retrieve his physical form yet. While this form of weakness and punishment obviously showed some virtues, Pitch still wanted his body back, something Jack's power would give him within the next three days.

Jack had enough of this. It wasn't even real anyways, it was just a nightmare, Pitch said so himself. "Shut up, this is just a nightmare!" Jack said out loud, he shut his eyes and tried to focus on waking up.

Pitch sighed, "It's such a shame that you've finally found a purpose in life and here I am taking it away from you. On your birthday too. Oh well, at least now you'll serve me well. Your life will finally have meaning... you will become what you were created for. You shall finally fulfill your _Destiny_."

That struck a nerve within Jack. With a cry of rage, Jack swung his staff violently as a destructive force of an electric shock of ice was sent spiraling towards Pitch. But Pitch simply caught it and sent it spiraling back at it's caster. Jack was knocked off his feet and flung into the air, colliding high up in a tree, feeling faint and ready to fall back down.

Before Jack felt the real world calling back to him and the horrid nightmare slip away, Jack heard Pitch's voice whisper to him one last time, "It's time to wake up now, Jack... my Gem..."

 _Thud!_

Jack's eyes snapped open as he finally crashed onto the ground from the tree. Once he had gathered his bearings, he shot up from the ground, scrambling for himself and pacing around the area. He breathed heavily as he frantically searched for Pitch. Thankfully, there was no Pitch, nor was there any sign of another Ice Age. Jack felt so relieved as he let out a small laugh and he faced towards the morning sun. Perhaps that was all just a really bad nightmare that was really meant to spook him (and it did a good job)...

It was then Jack realized that is was the next morning, it was his birthday. Supposedly, this was the day when the first step to his sacrifice began.

Jack swallowed and shuddered. Jack prayed to Mim that it was just a mere nightmare. However, there was only one person to go to make sure he was right: Sandy. He would know what went on last night, surely he could figure out something. But unbeknownst to Jack, his ever-growing fear of this sparked the Nightmare King's return, for he was to return that day and show Jack that this was no game and that he will die, slowly, painfully, and unwillingly.

With that in mind, Jack flew off to the Dream Castle, praying that it was all just a bad dream.

* * *

 **Please review!:) Thanks for reading, peace!**

 **-SkatingDJ**


	2. Chapter 2

Jack arrived at the Island of Sleepy Sands, otherwise known as the Sanderson Mansnoozie's home.

The island was practically a shooting star. The land itself was a star that had crash landed onto earth many centuries ago and stayed that way, not sinking nor exploding or anything else that should have logically occurred. It was a time before the Guardians assembled as a team in the Golden Ages, and Sandy claimed this to be his home. Now, the dead star was aglow as golden dream sand twirled across the turquoise sea like ivy and a sand dune castle in it's center. Jack couldn't lie, it was the most interesting home out of them all. Actually, it was one of the most interesting things Jack had ever seen in his entire life.

The bright and shimmering gold took a stunning and beautiful contrast to the dark and sullen blues of the sea. It was a shame that it was invisible to many eyes, but people did not believe in the Sandman and this island _was_ in the middle of nowhere.

Jack landed on the center island and gazed upon the magnificent dune castle of golden sand before him. It was where Sandy lived, and was it amazing. The sand shimmered but it did not hurt your eyes, the sand of the islands was soft yet firm enough to keep easy footing, and the aura was nothing but pure bliss and happiness. In the sweetness, Jack had almost entirely forgotten his concerns and why he had arrived in the first place. But happiness never lasted long, and Jack soon remembered why he was there. Nervously, Jack flew up to the entrance and entered the dune castle.

The castle was something like out of a childrens book or of the place called Wonderland. Everything was floating around at random and was full of wonder. North's center probably rubbed off on Sandy's architecture. The place was a fun house, in fact, some things were actually real objects and not made out of golden sand, it was quite a contrast. Surprisingly, it wasn't all that bright inside. The golden sand walls and objects gave a glow and shimmer of their existence through the otherwise total darkness. Not even the morning light reached the in doors.

 _How am I supposed to find Sandy in here?_ Jack wondered.

But as if on cue, a shrivel of golden sand unraveled before Jack's eyes and began to slowly travel throughout the corridors of the castle like Athena's golden string, beckoning for Jack to follow it. Jack paced behind the golden sand as it appeared to be leading him further into the castle. The line then crumbled to disappearance once Jack had stopped at the entrance of two grand double doors. Jack shrugged to himself and opened the doors quietly. It was stunningly dark and colorless. Jack stepped in and examined the room; it looked to be a living room or lobby of some sort. However, the usual golden sand had no glow to it and instead cast an aura of pale blues. Odd.

"Hello?" Jack called out as he crept closer towards the center of the room, "Is anyone here?"

Suddenly, golden light flourished throughout the room, the sand becoming rich with it's usual glimmer once more as golden sand fireworks exploded in the air.

Just as soon as the fireworks cracked, the Guardians jumped out from behind the furniture and shouted, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Distraught and caught by the element of surprise, Jack let out a yelp and fell backwards, staring at the scene before him with utter shock. The place had finally been lit up and now Jack could actually get a decent look at the place. The entire room had been decorated for a birthday party! There were banners, streamers, balloons, and even presents and a cake. They were _celebrating Jack's birthday._

Still frozen in his state of shock, Bunny walked up to Jack and offered him a hand back up. "Hey Frostbite, are ya good mate?"

Jack blinked rapidly as he sprung up off the ground without the Pooka's assistance. Panic swelled up within his body as he frantically looked around. _How did they know it was his birthday? Was this some sort of trick? Was Pitch behind this all?_ But Pitch was nowhere to be found and the Guardians wore faces of cheer, perhaps this really was just a birthday party just for him. But nonetheless, if that nightmare was true, this was still not a good thing at all.

Jack swallowed and composed himself, his hands gripping his staff tightly. "I-I'm fine. How did you know it was my birthday?"

North stepped forward and spoke, "Last night, Manny summoned us together and told us it iz your birthday today."

 _Well played, Manny._ Jack scowled underneath his breath. This wasn't going right, this was not good!

Tooth noticed Jack's distress and flew up to him, gently leaning in. "I hope this is okay, Jack. Are you feeling alright?" She said, growing concerned.

Jack's mind was reeling with thoughts. _If Manny told the Guardians about my birthday, do they know about my Destiny? Is this all part of the plan? Does this mean that the curse is actually true? If it is, then that means..._ Jack's breathing became more labored as his eyes wildly skirted around the room; he felt faint. He subconsciously took steps backwards, waiting to dash out of the room at any given moment. Because truth be told, _no, Jack was not okay. He was not feeling alright._

"U-uh, no, t-this is not good. This is not okay. I-I'm sorry, I appreciate what you're trying to do but I'm not interested." Jack weakly laughed as he eyed the door, "Look, I can't stay-"

"Jack, please stay with us! It was only yesterday you became a Guardian and this would be a good opportunity to get to know each other!" Tooth said, not letting Jack go off.

"The Sheila is right, mate. We want ya to become part of our family." Bunny said, trying to reason with Jack.

"Zat is right, ya? We will have fun!" North boomed as Sandy nodded along with him.

It was too much for Jack to process. He needed air. He had to get out of there. "I said, NO!"

The moment Jack screamed, his eyes glowed vibrantly as blue electric ice erupted throughout the room and destroyed everything in sight. The Guardians cowered to the floor and covered for protection as ice lightning tore fabrics and banners to shreds and ice shards and violent winds tossed things around the room. But as just as soon as everything started, everything stopped. Slightly mortified, Jack bolted from the room and fled down the hallway, leaving the Guardians in the ruin of Sandy's living room and party decorations.

After a few silent moments, the Guardians rose to their feet, frowns adorning their faces. They cautiously stood on their feet, crunching on dozens of ice shards as they examined the room. Ice shards were littered _everywhere_ , even lodged into the sand walls. Furniture had been battered and flipped, some objects strewn to the far reaches of the room. The banners and streamers were torn to nothing, some bits still coasting through the air that was still electrified with anger. The cake was nothing but a mushy mess, the decorations were no more, and the room was just in total destruction. Confusion and concern wracked the Guardians mind as they stood stock still in fear and shock.

"What do ya think that was all about?" Bunny rasped, longing for Jack to return with an explanation.

North and Sandy shook their heads without an answer. None of them were sure if they should go out and search for the boy or just leave him be. Tooth however would have none of that, she was the most concerned out of them all and wanted to talk to Jack. She whizzed out of the room, wanting to search for Winter Spirit. Luckily, Jack had gotten lost in the dunes and Tooth had caught up to him, much to Jack's displeasure.

"Jack, what's wrong?" Tooth said suddenly, flying up behind Jack silently and speaking out of the blue.

Jack came to a sudden halt, his breath getting caught in his throat. Just one thought going through his mind: _She can't know, none of them can._ Jack then plastered on his trademark facade smile and twirled around to face Tooth, but even his facade couldn't cover the swell of stress he was experiencing. "I just don't like parties." He said flatly, keeping his voice as steady as possible.

Tooth sighed and put a tender hand on Jack's shoulder. She took notice of how tense he was. Being a mother and having those sort of qualities, barriers and facades didn't trick her so easily and she could tell that something was making Jack saddened and stressed. "Jack, it's more than that. I can tell. Look, I know that this is just happening so fast and so new with you and your Guardianship, but if you just give us a chance-"

Jack took a step backwards and shrugged Tooth's hand away. He shook his head with denial as he rubbed his staff tightly. "No, Tooth. It's not that. I'm sorry, you guys did nothing wrong. I just-" Jack hesitated. There was no way he was leaving without giving Tooth a decent explanation, he had to say _something,_ "-I just need to sort some things out. I have a lot going on these next few days. I appreciate the party but birthdays are not my thing." Jack bit his lip through the lie because truthfully, he would have _loved_ having a party with the Guardians, but his mind just couldn't focus on that right now.

This only made Tooth more concerned, "Jack, please tell us! Just trust us, we can help."

"No," Jack said sternly and abruptly, catching Tooth slightly off guard by his tone, "I can't, trust _me_." He whispered.

Then, Jack tried to make a sudden dash the other way but was slammed against the wall when a ball socked him in the head. Jack tried to get up but felt an overwhelming sense of sleep take over him. _Sandy's Dreamsand._ He couldn't fight it off, no matter how much he struggled. Jack's eyelids heavily closed as he succumbed to the darkness, his fleeting thoughts of panic drifting into the silence.

 **~o.O.o~**

 _I'm broken, lying helpless, dying. Surrounded by the world._

 _You stare and laugh with me. When you don't see a thing._

 **~o.O.o~**

 _First sounds; nothing but a steady hum of silence. Then light and color through his shut eyelids; peaceful. Soon sense followed; he was on a bed. He inhaled slowly as the air hugging around his body. But something was wrong. Something was not right._

" _Your Destiny shall be fulfilled, there is no way around it. You will be mine..." Pitch Black's voice hissed, making Jack's eyes snap open._

 _Jack found himself on a bed that was surrounded by a ring of blazing fire. He couldn't distinguish where he was or what the place looked like, he only noticed he was on a bed and he was trapped in an element that could kill him. Pitch was no where in sight, just like his staff and he was too afraid to use any sort of powers left within him to help him (not like they would do him much good anyways). The heat was all too real, it felt so hot and so burning, his skin couldn't take much more of this. Tears welled up in his eyes from the brightness and the smoke. He violently coughed as he struggled to breath fresh air. Jack clamped his eyes shut and turned away from the fire, crying._

 _However, he could not ignore the distinct roar and shriek of fire that seemingly got dangerously close to him. Jack forcefully looked back and let out a scream when a trail of fire had curled among his bed and onto the covers. The trail then slithered up the nearest wall and began to make some sort of pattern; it snaked to the right, then curved to the left, and then back to the right before flickering to a stop, making a successful "S" imprinted on the wall. The mark sizzled with heat as the fire then turned to lava, charring through the wall, spitting out bits of charcoal as his screeched along it's canvas, creating a dramatic design that literally burned itself into Jack's memory._

 _Jack looked away once more as he clutched his head and screamed._

* * *

"Jack, wake up!"

"It's only a nightmare!"

"Can you hear us?"

Jack's eyes suddenly opened, he blinked frantically as panic was evident in his bloodshot irises. He saw the Guardians before him with pained expressions on their faces. He just had enough time to take notice that he was on a bed when Tooth dove in for a hug. Jack didn't back away from the gesture but cringed at the sudden contact.

"Sweetie, are you alright?"

"What?" Jack answered, confused and still shaken. _Had they put the fire out? Were they okay? Everything seems fine. Where was Pitch? What about that strange mark? Was that all even real?_

"You had a nightmare, Jack." North said as he approached the boy. "And in broad daylight... under Sandy's supervision! Which is very odd..." North then murmured as Sandy apologetically stared at Jack. The little man must have felt so guilty...

"Nightmare?" Jack questioned, _so that was a nightmare, it wasn't real!_ Jack concluded to himself with relief. _However... if I had a nightmare-_

"Yeah, mate. Ya were cryin' and screamin' for three hours! What happened?" Bunny said with legitimate concern laced in his voice.

Jack ignored Bunny's question (as he didn't want to answer it the last bit) as his hand quickly shot up to his face to find it slightly sticky from tears. His throat was also slightly scratchy from screaming. He hid his flush of embarrassment, he _despised_ showing any weakness. Sandy then quickly floated in front of everyone with alarm, fast flashes of sand figures appeared over his head, seemingly alerting the Guardians of something. Tooth nodded firmly as the other Guardians shared grim expressions.

"Jack, you had a nightmare." Tooth stated once more.

Jack swallowed as he gripped the bed sheets, thinking he already knows what they're getting at.

"Ya know what this means?" Bunny said openly.

 _No, it can't be. Does this really mean that it's all coming true?_

"Nightmares are on ze loose. Or possibly that Pitch Black has arisen." North said.

Tooth then began to babble on about how Pitch had returned in merely 24 hours and that they were going out to hunt down Pitch before something big happened again. But Jack had lost them, he was consumed by his own thoughts as he also felt sick to his stomach. _Of course, the only possible explanation for a nightmare would be Pitch Black. That means that he's back! Unless, vice versa, because I had a nightmare means that I brought him back. I am feeding him my fear all this time just like he said! My fear was so powerful this time that I was able to have a nightmare during the day AND somehow overcome Sandy's dreamsand! That means that my Destiny is real! It's all coming together! It's all playing out like Pitch's plan! He's getting stronger by the minute, and maybe I'm going mental, but I feel weaker too! It really is true... and there's nothing I can do to stop it!_

None of the Guardians noticed Jack's distress as Jack snapped back into reality and caught Tooth's last few words, "-so we're going to leave as soon as possible before nightfall to have the advantage. We will leave the yetis to take care of you while we're gone and-"

"Wait a minute!" Jack said as he sprang out of the bed and snatched his staff that was leaning by the wall, "I'm coming too!"

"Nah mate, yer stayin' in bed," Bunny said as he tried to coax the Winter Spirit back into the bed (yet failing), "Ya just woke up from a bloody brutal nightmare! Ya need yer rest, Frostbite. Besides, we can handle this on our own."

"Sandy will give you good dream." North said as Sandy nodded determinedly.

"We will be back before you know it, it's not a big deal, Sweet Tooth." Tooth cooed calmly, "I'm sure he's weak and-"

"No! I'm coming with you!" Jack almost shouted. Sure, maybe he didn't feel in the greatest shape to fight since that nightmare really shook him and he felt kinda weak, but those were the reasons he needed to go and confront Pitch... if he was actually back. There was no way he was going to pass this opportunity up. He had so many questions, and if Pitch was there, he would have to make sure that he got those questions answered and figure out a way to avoid the Guardians in confronting him. Of course Jack considered that this too was part of the Destiny and he was falling into Pitch's hands, but what exactly was he going to do? He couldn't be all that powerful (just yet) and he had the Guardians... and it would kill his pride if he just stayed. He needed to do this.

"Jack, you really don't need to come! In fact you shouldn't!" Bunny countered.

"You can't stop me." Jack growled, sending out death glares to the Guardians which shut them up.

"Alright, Jack." North groaned reluctantly. "Grab your things and then head to the loading docks, hurry everyone!"

 **~o.O.o~**

"It's- it's open!"

"That confirms our suspicions!"

"He really is back!"

The Guardians had flown the sleigh to the Burgess Woods in Pennsylvania (unbeknownst to them that it was at the edge of Jack's home), and had scoured the land for some time before coming across a distinct hole in the ground. It stood in the middle of a clearing and was wide open for anyone to enter. It was as if nothing had happened. It was practically egging the Guardians to enter, wanting for them to enter its mouth and never allow them to escape. Let alone the fact that it was a sign that Pitch had returned, it made all the Guardians queasy and unwilling to enter the hellhole.

"Well," Tooth swallowed, "we can't turn back now."

Sandy sighed and approached the edge of the hole and slowly began to descend. During the journey, the Guardians discussed how it would be best for Sandy to enter first (if their suspicions about Pitch were correct) since he was most effective against Pitch if he was jumped and he could easily signal the gang from up above using his sand. After a painful minute or two, a golden tendril of sand floated up from the hole and flicked back and forth, motioning everyone that it was okay to enter.

The Guardians jumped in one by one, first North, then Bunny, followed by Tooth, and finally Jack. Once all Guardians had landed on the ground, they found themselves in a dark, black cave reeking with the smell of dew and stalagmites and stalactites sticking at them from all angles. The single beam of light above from the hole gave them a slight bit of comfort, at least they had a way out. To the left of them was a solid wall of rock, their only option was to move right. So, the Guardians began their tread and soon found themselves in a massive room of demented walls and floors with haunting cages hanging from the ceiling.

Jack shuddered as flashbacks began to forcefully come to the forefront of his mind. Maybe it _wasn't_ such a good idea that he came-

"Welcome, Guardians."

The Guardians gasped as they jumped into action, battle stances with weapons drawn as they scanned the room with deadly accuracy.

"I thought you'd come. Come to apologize for what you did to me yesterday?"

None of them could detect where the voice was coming from. It was Pitch, that was for sure, but it was as if his voice was coming from every single angle of the room!

"No," Tooth broke the silence, trying not to show that she was even slightly afraid and attempting to bring Pitch out of the shadows in the most subtle way, "We're here because of something else."

"Aw," Pitch's voice drawled as a shadow began creeping up next to where the Guardians were standing, making them back away, "is this about Jack?"

Jack's stomach rolled as a wave of fear and anger surged through his blood. He gritted his teeth as he gripped his staff tighter. Perhaps if he could destroy Pitch right now, he could put this whole traumatic Destiny thing behind him and get on with his new life that he'd very much like to have!

"What do you want, Pitch?" North said threateningly as he pointed his dual blade at the large shadow.

"My goal for world domination has not changed, my friend." Pitch chuckled darkly, "But this time-" Another chuckle, "It comes with a small side of revenge, and have the power this time to defeat you and you will not be able to stop me!"

Without warning, Pitch's shadow lunged out from the wall and blazed towards Jack who was simply paralyzed with the overwhelming sense of fear.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Thank you for the support and please continue it:) Peace!3**

 **-SkatingDJ**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the long wait, but here is chapter 3! BTW, thank you all for the lovely reviews:) I own nothing, and please enjoy.**

* * *

"JACK, MOVE!"

Hearing his name called, Jack snapped out of his trance and dodged Pitch's oncoming throttle at the last minute. As he jumped, Jack sent a bolt of ice right towards the boogeyman, but Pitch had already disappeared back into the shadows. North had tried slashing his swords, but they had only cut through air. Tooth flew to a halt when Pitch had disappeared and Sandy's whips had been deflected off the wall Pitch had faded into before dissipating in Sandy's grasp. Bunny let out a growl and chucked a boomerang at the wall with frustration. However, instead of simply bouncing off the wall, the boomerang flew right into a black void and vanished.

Bunny jumped as his precious boomerang was nowhere to be found as it slipped into the dark void.

Everyone let out a sudden cry when Bunny let out a yelp of pain as his boomerang appeared out of nowhere and spiraled directly into the back of Bunny's head. Bunny scrabbled for his boomerang and snatched it off the ground, retreating back to the other Guardians in a poised battle stance.

The Guardians clumped together in a circle, it would be easier to fight Pitch off if they stood as a single body. They shuffled together nervously. Previously, Pitch was able to control Nightmares and corrupt dream sand, but now, Pitch seemed to have an unlimited reign over the shadows and darkness. Something that could easily swamp the Guardians if they weren't careful enough.

Jack, however, had other plans. He needed to stay isolated to be able to confront Pitch one-to-one.

It was terribly silent.

Weapons drawn out, the Guardians listened with intense ears. There was the occasional creek of a chained cage up above and Tooth's constant fluttering with her wings. Otherwise, no one dared to even breath. Everyone's heartbeat was racing, their own blood rushing through their ears.

Suddenly, without warning, shadows leaped from the walls and attacked the Guardians from all angles. Everyone jumped out of the way and avoided the onslaught of the darkness. But the shadows didn't stop. They continued to spring from the walls and wreak havoc across the lair. They tore themselves relentlessly from the chamber stone walls and flung themselves at dangerous speeds at the Guardians. Who knew what would happen if one of them touched you? The Guardians didn't want to find out. They constantly ran from the shadows and darkness as the shadows seemed to screech with fury as they blasted through walls and columns, their mission to destroy the Guardians.

The Guardians could see Pitch controlling the shadows from time to time but they couldn't get anywhere near him with the shadows on their tails. It didn't help that whenever the Guardians tried to attack the darkness and shadows, their weapons would merely phase through them.

Eventually, the routine began to get tedious and Pitch-being the greedy and hasty bastard he was-began to grow genuinely tiresome of the one-handed battle and decided to join in for himself. Bringing his shadows to retreat, Pitch used them as his shield.

Seeing this opportunity, Bunny began throwing egg bombs and Sandy unleashed his whips. Both spirits attacked Pitch with all their might but the shadows jumped in and protected their master in a vortex of black sand. Jack then fired a shot of ice at the torpedo of sand which instantly began to freeze, but the sand fought through the frozen barrier as dozens of ice shards flew out and littered the ground. However, giving a moment to expose Pitch. Thinking quickly, Jack swished his staff, picking up all the ice shards and shot them all at Pitch in a flurry. Pitch swiftly dodged by diving back into the ground and popping back up in a different spot.

Bunny moved his feet as quickly as he could and chucked both of his boomerangs at Pitch. The boomerangs spiked Pitch in the chest as the man was thrown backwards, but Pitch attacked with his nightmare sand twice as hard and Bunny was mercilessly thrown backwards across the room, his arm guards unable to absorb the hit and vulnerable without his boomerangs in hand. On his rapid decent, Bunny's head flew into a column and he was knocked unconscious almost instantly.

North jumped in and furiously slashed his swords at the boogeyman. North was able to slice Pitch right in the middle, but in that split moment, Pitch's body became transparent like a shadow and the blades went right through him without any damage. North doubled back in shock, it just blew his mind how powerful had suddenly become and that the Guardians might not win this fight. Taking this chance, Pitch sent a similar attack from Bunny at North as the large man was also sent flying back and immediately knocked unconscious once he came in contact with a wall. Jack tried to stop North's hit but in the process, he too had taken the hit and was flung backwards, but not with the full blunt of the force.

Sandy stepped in and flung his whips around Pitch in a mad dance. Pitch gladly joined in as he sent his shadows back at Sandy in an equally challenged dual. However, before Sandy was able to get a decent hit on Pitch, the shadows had caught up to him and latched onto his tiny limbs. Sandy struggled but the shadows yanked with full might towards the ground, swallowing the Sandman down with them. And just like that, the Sandman had disappeared into the ground and sent to another part of Pitch's vast lair, far away from the fight.

It was down to Tooth and Jack. Jack was just recovering from the previous hit and the only thing keeping him going was the sheer will that he needed to know if his Destiny was real. It didn't help that during the fight, everyone had been reckless and many walls and columns had been broken, the lair was beginning to crumble and shake, seemingly ready to fully collapse any minute now. He needed to get the Guardians out and talk to Pitch alone... somehow.

Tooth went in for the charge, she had an extremely rough time with the shadows. Surprisingly, flying didn't make it any easier. In fact, she had gotten quite lost in the maze of corridors and only recently found a way back. All she saw was her fallen comrades and that was enough to get her blood boiling. Reaching speeds that would easily rival Jack's and Bunny's _combined_ , Tooth cut past Pitch at sonic speeds, her wings trying to get a decent slice at the boogeyman.

Tooth was doing a good job until Pitch simply found the right timing between her attacks and countered back with his own shadows. Tooth was sent spiraling towards the ceiling, her body slamming into the roof, causing the ceiling to crack and give out before she fell to the ground in a weak and lifeless heap.

As fate would have it though, the knock to the ceiling Tooth delivered was enough to trigger Pitch's lair to collapse. The ceiling began to cave in, the columns began to crumble and the walls began to collapse.

"V'e must get out off here!" North's voice echoed throughout the cavern, he himself just arriving to consciousness.

Sandy had just arrived on the scene and sent his golden dreamsand throughout the entire lair, desperately seeking out a quick exit.

Bunny eventually came to and began to sprint out, "Where's Tooth!?" He shouted, noticing the female of the gang was nowhere to be seen.

Meanwhile, Jack had been trying to catch up, but hearing Bunny's statement forced him to stop. He did so just in time, Jack turned around to see Tooth splayed on the ground caught as one of her wings were crushed under a boulder. The roof began to fall around her as she let out a horrific scream as rocks were going to fall on top of her and crush the rest of her.

Jack didn't think twice. His feet soared and flew towards Tooth as he swung his staff with as much power as he could, trying to call the wind to make him get to Tooth faster. However, the place had begun to give out and Jack found himself trying to not get squashed as well. He just kept his eyes locked on Tooth and prayed that he could make it in time. But as luck would have it, the cracked ceiling above Tooth finally gave out and tons of rocks and stones began to plummet down to the earth, racing towards the fairy. Jack tried to use his ice magic to create a shield around Tooth, but his ice could never make it that far without pieces of the building falling in the way.

Jack trembled as the reality sunk in that he wouldn't make it in time. His heart screamed for Tooth as he pushed himself one last time to save her, even though Tooth's death would be upon them in less than a second. At this rate, Tooth wasn't going to make it. _No,_ Jack begged, _it can't end like this... not again. Please, this can't happen._

A tear flew out of Jack's eyes as he reached out for the fairy and let out a gut-wrenching cry, "STOP!"

A force shoved Jack to the floor as an explosion rippled throughout the cavern. Jack's staff was flung out of his hand as he slammed his hands to his ears and clamped his eyes shut as he curled into himself, not even daring to move. Jack felt rubble and rocks fly at him as he was too afraid to budge from his spot, his arms folded tightly over his face to protect himself and he stayed in that position even though it felt safe. Warm tears slowly leaked from his eyes and trickled down his face as he didn't ever want to look up. He didn't want to wake up to find Tooth dead and himself trapped within Pitch's lair with no escape.

But he did open his eyes...

And what he saw was nothing that he could have ever imagined.

As Jack pressed himself off the ground, he noticed the cold and smooth texture of the floor and realized it was covered in ice. Jack stood up and gawked as everything had been frosted over in ice. However, it wasn't like an icy and snowy wasteland, it was more like the ice had frozen things in place. Ice tainted objects stood stock still, even those objects that were hovering in midair, such as falling debris. Nothing budged or made a sound. Jack noticed the Guardians (minus Tooth) in a far corner where it was as if someone had pushed a pause button while they were running. But they were oblivious to their current state.

It was cold, quiet and still.

It was as if time had stopped.

It was as if Jack had actually frozen time itself.

"How did I-?" Jack wondered out loud as he stood up entirely and meekly called out, "Hello?"

"Hello, Jack."

Jack let out a cry and whipped around to see the owner of the voice none other than Pitch Black. _Time itself can't even stop him!?_ Jack stumbled backwards and scrambled on his fours, hiding behind stilled rocks. Unbeknownst to either of them, Jack's staff laying lifelessly behind the rock Jack was pressed up against.

Jack looked up at Pitch, if it were possible, he looked even scarier and more threatening than before. And placed on the boogeyman's forehead was the _S_ symbol that Jack saw in his nightmare. That certainly didn't bode well. It glowed menacingly at Jack, laughing, punishing him as it burned itself into his memory.

"I knew I was in the right to choose you as my vessel." Pitch drawled in a sickly sweet voice as he began to slowly approach the Winter Spirit. "It's quite impressive, such raw power." Pitch continued to taunt Jack as the dark spirit managed to corner the white haired teen.

"It may be your birthday, but an infinite amount of candles cannot wish away your fate now." Pitch leaned down towards Jack, his face only a mere inch away from Jack's, which made the teen turn away in a wince and shudder, "No matter what you do, where you go, how much you fight, how much you beg... you cannot escape. Nothing can save you now."

Jack peeked open one eye just a tad; he couldn't bare to look at the man leaning down before him. He was a fool, he had put the Guardians in danger by coming. Jack finally understood that now. The Guardians shouldn't have gotten involved, this was all his fault. He should have stopped them from interfering. He didn't deserve their care, they barely even knew him. Now they were in danger, everyone was in danger, all because of him. And Jack didn't know what to do.

But right now, Jack had to save the Guardians. He had to try. Jack cracked his eye opened a little more and gasped when he saw his staff lying within arm's reach. His fingers gracefully trailed over to where his staff was ever-so carefully.

"Well, Frost?" Pitch spoke, vying for a response.

Jack finally faced Pitch with cruel, stern eyes, "I can sure as hell try!"

Without warning, Jack swung his staff at Pitch and sent out a shock-wave of ice hurling at the man. Pitch, not predicting the sudden attack, was blown back by the blast and was forced to retreat into the shadows to recuperate.

Jack took this chance to search for Tooth in hopes that he had saved her and stopped the rocks from crushing her. Jack bounded over a few rocks and rubble and found Tooth to his much relief. Apparently, Jack had saved her in the nick of time as well, the stones that were going to kill the fairy had stopped just above Tooth's arm that was protecting her head. Jack didn't have time to think about Tooth's frozen state, as he effortlessly lifted up the boulder that had crushed Tooth's wing. The boulder stopped in midair once Jack released it. Jack blasted a hole in the ceiling and scooped Tooth into his arms and flew out from the ground, not worrying to much about her frozen state or the other Guardians, he just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Jack raced out of the thicket of woods and towards the closest place that he was fond of, his lake. As Jack flew over the forest and eventually into the city, he gaped with horror as it seemed that the entire land had been touched by his curse. Everything and everyone had been frozen in a sheer layer of ice. Nothing moved or breathed, the world had become nothing but a still life of death and nothingness. Jack forced himself to look away and focus on the task at him, he would figure out a way to reverse this.

Jack dropped to his lake and placed Tooth onto the frozen pond. To his shock, Tooth had been thawed from time and was now just moving and breathing, acting if she had just been rescued from drowning. She scrambled to her feet in a panic, but grimacing as her crushed wing twitched with pain. Tooth looked like she was about to have a panic attack, Jack had to place his hands on her shoulders to stop her from running rampant.

"Jack, what happened!?" Tooth cried out, "Why is Pitch so strong? How is he back?" Tooth looked behind and her features saddened as she gazed upon the lifeless land, "Did he do this, whatever this is?" She returned her stare back to the Winter Spirit.

Jack's hands dropped off Tooth's shoulders. "No, it was me. I froze time..." Jack admitted, trying not to choke on his own words.

Tooth swallowed the information and nodded, "We'll fix this." She said firmly, balling her hands into tight fists.

Jack flinched, she was just trying to be brave and positive for his sake. There was no hope in the end.

"But why is Pitch attacking you? Why so soon, why now?" Tooth scowled, unable to answer the multitude of questions that were filling up her brain.

Jack bit his tongue, _you have to protect her,_ he thought. Tooth couldn't know the truth. "I- I'm not sure," Jack flat-out lied, stuttering slightly, "I just want it to stop!" Jack screamed, his hands running through his hair in stress.

Before Tooth was able to reply, the whinny of a Nightmare echoed off from the edge of the woods. The two Guardians stood together and turned towards the noise to find a small group of Nightmares surrounding their king.

"Jack, go." Tooth ordered, sliding herself in front of Jack.

"What-!? Tooth, no-" Jack responded, utterly baffled by the fairy's decision.

"I will not let Pitch get to you, just _go_!"

Jack didn't even know why he took to the skies and flew off. He didn't want to leave Tooth there by herself. Why would he flee just like that? All Jack could feel was a sickening pit in his stomach and his heart beating through his chest. When Tooth gave the cue, Jack's body had willingly escaped and gave into the fear that he was trying so desperately to fight off. But he couldn't just leave Tooth with Pitch! Sure, she could get by those Nightmares, but no way would she be able to actually battle Pitch with any hope of winning, and without a wing, she couldn't fly, and that meant...

Jack stopped in midair and looked back. _What had he done?_

A part of Jack screamed at him to stop and take the chance to run while he still had it, but another part of him just couldn't leave Tooth to potentially die. Jack wouldn't be able to live with himself if that happened. There was no question about it, Jack had to rescue Tooth and face Pitch.

Jack landed on the ground just a little ways beyond his lake, he ran on foot towards the battle that he could barely even hear when suddenly, a screech was thrown into the vacant air and echoed off of all the trees, making Jack's hair stand up on end. Jack made a mad dash towards his lake, only to find Tooth no where in sight and his home a wasteland with nightmare sand littering the environment.

Jack slowly approached the scene, a worried expression written over his face.

Suddenly, from the ice beneath Jack, Pitch sprung up in front of the boy from the shadows and firmly grasped onto Jack's wrists.

Jack let out a yell of surprise as his staff was once again tossed out of his hands. Pitch flexed his grip as Jack whimpered, his attempt to escape pitiful and futile.

"Oh Jack, how many times must I tell you?" Pitch hissed, snaking his clutched hands underneath the fabric of Jack's sweatshirt cuffs.

Pitch then began to sink his nails into Jack skin as spirit began to slightly squirm and writhe with pain. Then, a shadowy shaded ink started to seep out of Pitch's nails and into then under Jack's skin, traveling through Jack's bloodstream in his arms. The substance within Jack's body began to take the form of an _S_ on Jack's wrists and upper arms, creating two of the tattoo-like symbols on each arm. The sleeves of Jack's sweatshirt deteriorated and disintegrated where the trail of shadow ink on his skin came into contact of the clothing, leaving a decayed style, allowing the symbols on Jack's skin to show. Jack choked and growled through the pain before a cry tore through his throat as Pitch finally released him, sending him to collapse on the icy floor.

Jack looked down at his arms and slapped his cupped hands over the symbols, not wanting to look at them and to try to ease away the uncomfortable, burning sensation that still coursed throughout his veins.

"The sky will become an eternal darkness, flesh will be turned ice cold, the world shall become a frozen wasteland, the moon shall fall and the Guardians along with it... I shall rise again!" Pitch said as he loomed over Jack's body.

Jack swallowed thickly and sniffed, gripping his staff tightly which was laid out in front of him, "I don't... CARE!" Jack screamed, thrusting his staff in Pitch's direction as the ice upon the lake leaped into action and trapped Pitch in a crystallized tomb.

Jack sprung to his feet to the best of his ability and jogged around his lake, searching for Tooth.

"Tooth!" Jack cried out as he swished his staff back and forth, causing the wind to send debris away from where he was looking.

A groan was heard underneath a fallen tree.

Jack rushed over to the fallen tree and rolled it over to reveal Tooth who was clutching her wounded ribs which were undoubtedly broken. Jack forced himself to not look away as he bit back tears and gently raised Tooth into his arms as he carried her off into the sky to find a safe haven. Using the Southern Winds, Jack made it to the South Pole in record time. Jack slowed down and gracefully landed into the snow as he entered in a cave which was a suitable temperature for the fairy. Jack softly placed Tooth down against a snow bank and lied down next to her and shamelessly placed his head on her shoulder.

Jack let out a sigh as a tear finally escaped his eyes, "I shouldn't have dragged you guys into this," he croaked, "and now you're involved... I guess you deserve to know what happened," Jack glanced over to Tooth who was seemingly unconscious, but he decided to continue, he had a feeling she could still hear him.

"Pitch had come to me yesterday, saying that today on my birthday, something bad was going to happen very soon. Some sort of destiny that I needed to fulfill." Jack paused and admitted the truth, "I'm scared, Tooth. That's why I didn't celebrate my birthday with you. I'm sorry, I never might be able to either because Pitch will-"

Jack was unable to explain any further as a loud explosion sounded from the entrance of the cave. Jack snatched his staff and inched his way out of the cave, leaving Tooth behind him. Jack managed to crouch out of the cave to find a trail of Nightmares bounding towards him, forcing Jack to jump to the side. Luckily, the Nightmares weren't able to make it inside the cave as the cave's roof by the entrance collapsed and sealed the entrance. But it did indeed lock Tooth inside to Jack's horror. Jack was just about to start removing the snow and ice when Pitch's shadow popped up out of nowhere and blocked Jack's access to the cave.

"It's just you and me, Frost." Pitch cackled, his clawed hands reaching out for the frost child.

Jack ducked and bolted the other way, gathering enough speed before leaping into the air in hopes of leaving Pitch behind. Or maybe draw him away from the cave so he could loop around and rescue Tooth. Jack looked back, and to his utter horror, Pitch was following right behind him. Flying on a pit of nightmare sand, Pitch flew after Jack at rapid speeds.

"You're making this much harder than this needs to be, Jack!" Pitch called out from behind Jack.

Jack shook his head and shot forward faster, he turned tight corners and dipped and weaved through and behind glaciers, trying to loose the tail Pitch was following, but with no success. Clawed hands made of shadows reached out and attempted to snatch Jack midair, Jack just barely out of their reach. Jack countered by sending an avalanche towards Pitch, but the boogeyman just avoided it. Jack huffed as he dished out another attack in a final attempt to stop Pitch. Jack came to a halt as he slashed his staff across his side, causing two ginormous glaciers to crash together in midair, hopefully squishing Pitch who should have been caught.

When the dust, snow, and ice had settled from the collision, not a trace of Pitch was to be found. Relieved, Jack let out a sigh and slowly descended to the ground.

He wasn't prepared for when Pitch burst from the glaciers and plowed right into Jack, effectively catching him off guard and catapulting him onto an icy cliff side which overlooked the icy waters of Antarctica.

Jack stumbled to his feet as he tried to get away, but the blow had seriously rattled him and he didn't make it far at all before Pitch had caught onto him and grabbed a hold of his sweatshirt's hood.

"You have no other choice!" Pitch screeched as he yanked back on Jack's hood, making it tear off and reveal more _S_ markings that had been engraved on Jack's neck and back. "Your Destiny shall be fulfilled!"

"NO!" Jack used the last bit of his strength to try and strike Pitch, but Pitch simply caught his wrist as Jack's staff was cast out of his hand the third time. Jack tried to throw a punch with his other fist but Pitch caught that one too in an iron grasp.

Pitch dug his nails into Jack's wrists and the torturous process repeated all over again, except this time, the markings didn't stop coming and showing. They continued throughout Jack's arms, back, chest, stomach, legs, and even on his forehead. It felt like he was being electrocuted from the inside out. The rest of Jack's clothes began to shred and crumble away. As Jack cried and whimpered, the weather began to change drastically as a blizzard began to pick up and rain a harsh winter upon the land. The skies turned a smoky black and the sea became a murky darkness. Time had passed and even Jack's cropped white hair began to grow a great length, even beyond his shoulders. By the time Pitch had stopped the process, Jack was only left with a tattered set of jeans and a new haircut. Weak from the pain, Jack buckled to his knees as his arms wrapped tightly around his body, more or less aware of his bareness.

When Jack opened his eyes, the sight to behold horrified him. It sent a drill of fear straight through his stomach. Pitch looked quite amused, on the other hand. _It was exactly like his nightmare! But wasn't this real?_

"No..." Jack wailed, letting out a breath of defeat.

"Yes," Pitch hummed, "Drink it in. This is the world you are destined to create."

Jack clutched the side of his head, this had to be another nightmare, "No! This can't be real! Not now!"

"Oh, but it is very real. This is the future... your future."

"I won't do it," Jack sobbed weakly, suddenly starting to feel dizzy and lightheaded.

Pitch leaned onto the boy as he placed his spindly hands on the boy's scrawny shoulders, ash skin meeting pale white, "There's nothing you can do to stop it. You will destroy the world, Jack. And it will be all you fault..."

Jack frowned deeply as he clenched his eyes shut, gritting his teeth. An intense pounding alarming at the front of his forehead, increasing his dizziness. He felt like passing out...

"Pitch..." The word just passed Jack's lips right before he blacked out.

Pitch only smirked as he began to lift his fingers off the Winter Spirit's shoulders, "Well, on that note, I'll be seeing you later."

With that said, Pitch let go of Jack, making the boy teeter right off the edge of the cliff and plunge right into the freezing, murky depths of the Antarctic sea.

Just as Jack's limped body crashed into the waves, Pitch said one final goodbye comment, "Oh, and by the way, _happy birthday._ " With that, the boogeyman took his leave.

 **~o.O.o~**

 _I'm damaged now, and I'm breaking down, Unraveled and can't breathe_

 _The truth I seek never felt so bleak, I feel it drop degrees_

 _Freeze_

 **~o.O.o~**

" _Jack!"_

" _Wake up, mate!"_

" _Come on, Frostbite!"_

" _JACK!"_

Light assaulted Jack's blurry vision. His eyes stung and burned. His body was cold and drained. He couldn't breathe.

"Oi, easy there. That's it, mate. Just breathe, you'll be fine."

Jack violently coughed and vomited out water as he flipped over on his side and groaned. Everything ached. Jack rolled back over to find a large pooka kneeling next to him, a reasonably wet and shivering pooka.

"B-Bunny?" Jack rasped, slightly confused.

"Thank Manny, you're ah'right." Bunny let out a sigh of relief, a small smile written across his furry face, "As we were runnin' outta Pitch's lair, we noticed you an' Tooth were missin'-"

Jack inhaled sharply, remembering the trapped tooth fairy, "Tooth-!" He remarked as he tried to get up, but had another coughing and hacking fit instead.

"Don' worry, mate. We've got 'er." Bunny responded as he coaxed Jack back down. "We followed yer trail and I rescued ya in the nick of time, just saw ya go in the water and jumped in." At that moment, Bunny sneezed as another shiver racked his body.

"Y-you saved m-me?" Jack managed to say, slightly surprised by the rabbit's actions.

"O' course, ya gumby." Bunny said as he lovingly stroked Jack's long hair with a wet paw. "Come on, now. Let's get back to North's place, the others are waitin'." Jack nodded with content as Bunny scooped Jack up in one swoosh and hopped off towards the sleigh that was waiting for them beyond the cliff.

Jack felt the tug of sleep drag him back into it's clutches and gave into it, nodding off as his eyelids slowly drooped down and his breathing steadied.

"Nice haircut by the way, Frostbite."

Jack hummed and smiled softly, "Shut up... _Kangaroo_..."

Just before the darkness consumed Jack, Jack opened his eyes one last time to find that the markings on his body had disappeared.

* * *

Jack woke up to find himself resting on a rather comfortable bed and feeling quite refreshed. The room he was in was an infirmary of some sorts. His staff lay beside his bed and Jack found himself wearing an insanely large white T-shirt (undoubtedly North's). Jack swung himself out of bed and stretched, he rubbed his neck to find that his hand touched hair instead of skin, how ridiculous he must look. On the nightstand, there sat a note and a razor for cutting hair.

The note read, _Meet us in North's Office~_

Jack took his staff and the razor and marched off to the nearest bathroom. He took one look at himself in the mirror and couldn't help but chortle, he did look ridiculous with long hair. Jack began to slowly trim his hair to make it look like normal again.

As he slowly chopped away at his hair, Jack couldn't help but let his mind wander.

 _This is really happening, isn't it? There is nothing he could do to stop it, is there? He didn't really tell Tooth the truth, did he? Tooth really didn't even hear him, didn't she? This was all his fault, wasn't it? Everyone and everything was going to pay because of him, right?_

Tears prickled the corners of Jack's eyes before Jack quickly wiped them away. This was happening, all he had to do was accept it and try to figure out if there was some sort of alternative. He would still try to the bitter end of it all. But for now, all he wanted to do was for this day to end and see the Guardians. For starters, what he was wearing wasn't going to cut it. Not that Jack cared about his looks too much, but he'd prefer his original style. Anything that reminded him of _normal_ helped...

With a simple swish of his staff, North's getup was being swapped with Jack's normal attire. Crafted from Jack's own ice and snow powers, Jack's jeans and sweatshirt frosted over the plain T-shirt before settling into place.

Leaving the bathroom and all depressing thoughts behind, Jack made his way to the office, not entirely sure what to expect. Once he made it to the room, he cautiously creaked open the door...

"Um, surprise?"

A 'Happy Birthday' banner was taped against the back window and a simple cake had been made. In the middle of the room, each of the Guardians stood together with party hats placed on their heads.

"Jack," North spoke in his deep, thick accent, "we know you didn't want a birthday, but after today, we hope you might... reconsider."

"We know you don't like your birthdays," Tooth said as she hobbled slightly over to Jack, one of her wings were in a bandaged cast and she used a crutch and a strip was wrapped around her chest, "but we are glad you are here with us." She said warmly as she placed a caring hand on Jack's shoulder and the other to strap a baby blue part hat on top of Jack's head.

"Guys..." Jack said and paused.

The Guardians held their breath and listened keenly.

"We're going to need ice cream." Jack finished with a deadpan.

The Guardian's faces lit up.

"You got it, Frostbite!" Bunny cheered.

"I'll cut the cake!" North boomed.

Sandy clapped silently, his yellow party hat bobbing up and down on his shaggy hair. He glided off to go fetch the eggnog and hot chocolate.

Before leaving, Tooth said a few words to Jack, "You sure you're okay with this?"

"I think I will be." Jack responded flatly.

"Look," Tooth said solemnly, "I heard you, when you spoke to me. You said you had some sort of destiny to fulfill, and something bad was supposed to happen... I guess something bad did happen, and I'm sorry that I- we as Guardians weren't there to protect you."

Jack looked down and hid his disappointment at himself, Tooth had it wrong. "No," He said, "Nothing can- could prevent it."

"I bet Pitch just wants to get back at you for what you did to him the other day, we believe that's why he's targeting you. Don't worry, we'll find him and put an end to this," Tooth promised firmly, "But for now, you're safe with us. It's over."

Tooth walked away, leaving Jack standing by himself.

Suddenly, a burning sensation overtook the palms of Jack's hands. Jack folded them over and sulked with fear as he saw the _S_ engraved on them, as if it were a reminder that this indeed was not over...

"No," Jack whispered to himself, "this was only the beginning."

 **~o.O.o~**

 _So breakable, unbreakable_

 _So shakable, unshakable_

 _Was shaken up when I found you_

 **~o.O.o~**

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it, make sure to leave a review! Please check out my other stories:) Peace!**

 **-SkatingDJ**


	4. IMPORTANT: APOLOGY NOTE

Hello my little Music Mixers, DJ here:

First and foremost, I know I have claimed in my most recent ( _most recent,_ that does not mean _recently_ ) chapters that I would be getting back into the swing of things and updating more.

Well, that was clearly a blatant lie.

Now, all I can ask is you forgiveness. However, I'm not here to redeem myself. I am going to be brutally honest and say that I am not sure if I will be getting my stories finished anytime soon. As a matter of fact, recently, I've been worried if I will be completing them at all. But, I am just worried, I'm not giving up, I know that much; I made a promise that I would finish them to you, and I will. I myself want to finish what I created as well, I really, desperately do, but I know that words speak more than actions. And in my case, this is exceptionally true.

Lately, school has been ruthless, and my parents will freak if I'm not a straight A student. Also, I am an ice skater for a living. I devote half to almost my entire day doing that, and as a result, fall very behind in my work. I have gone through some major changes with my skating and so have my coaches and friends. It's been quite drama inducing and chaotic these past years for a lot of people in my life.

As you can see, I have not had much time to write and I began to develop a writing block... _a BIG one._

I just couldn't find it within myself to type on a document to tell a story anymore. I love to write and I still do it occasionally, but I got bored very quickly and couldn't find it within myself to give out pleasing content to you all. So, I wouldn't make the effort to finish it.

As of late, I have been involving myself in other fandoms, such as YouTube, TV shows, and PC games. Also, I've been thinking of ideas for original publications. I realized the ROTG (most of my fics) fandom is somewhat dead and I am not sure if you all are still with me. I know that popularity among my stories is not important, but it's almost as if I want to apologize to the people who have read my fics from years ago by posting chapters again... if they are still there.

I've always been one to constantly create new ideas for fics, even if they are entirely incomplete and I have not finished any of my other fanfics. And that's how my mind has been lately, but not a single day goes by without me regretting about not getting to this site.

Yes, call it laziness if you will.

But I want to finish this. All of my stories. I really do. I want to continue working on FanFiction.

But it's been a long time since July of 2014 when I was 13 years old. It's been 3 years and I'm now 16 and I'm very different than I was then.

What I would like to do is go back and rewrite _ALL_ of my fics. Think of it as a fresh start. For example, I have already done so with my "Unravel: The End" fic. And I know now that a lot of my ideas are already out there and have been used since I've waited so long.

I'm sorry.

Hopefully when things have settled down even more so I can gain more control in my life and not be so stressed out. Perhaps once summer comes I'll be a little more free. I do have plans and will be training more, but I think I'll be more motivated. Unfortunately, I am going to refrain from making any promises on getting to it asap, but I please find some solace in that I am still here and that I love to write, I have not forgotten you all.

After all, it's because of you guys why I love to write so much, and I can't thank you all enough for that.

I guess that wraps it up, pretty much...

Thank you all so much for reading, Peace!

-SkatingDJ


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